1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of agriculture. More specifically, the invention comprises an animal feed harvesting system wherein the feed is vacuumed into a series of large containers for storage and subsequent delivery to farm animals.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is common in the field of agriculture to grow food crops for subsequent feeding to animals. These crops must be produced during the growing season, but are typically fed to the animals during the winter months. Typical food crops include hay, alfalfa, and peanuts. Hay harvesting provides a good example of the prior art approach.
Hay is grown to a desired height. A sickle-bar mower is then passed through the hay to shear the stalks near ground-level. The sheared hay is then allowed to sit in the sun for several days (assuming the weather cooperates) in order to dry. Once sufficiently dried, a hay rake is passed over the loose material in order to bunch it into lofted rows. A hay baler then run over the lofted rows. The bailer gathers the cut material and compresses it into round or square hay bails, typically bound by twine or sheet plastic.
These hay bales must be loaded and conveyed to a storage barn. They will remain in the barn until needed in the winter. At that point the bales are reloaded and transported out to the animals. They are then typically placed in a feeding device (a “stock feeder”). The feeding device limits the animals' complete access to the hay so that they can eat it without stomping it into the ground or otherwise spoiling it.
The reader will thereby appreciate that the prior art approach to a feeding cycle contemplates many operations, including:
1. Cutting the hay;
2. Drying the hay in the sun;
3. Raking the hay into rows;
4. Baling the hay;
5. Transporting the hay bales to a storage barn;
6. Transporting the hay bales from the storage barn to the feeding area; and
7. Placing the bales in a stock feeder.
The prior art is obviously labor intensive. It also results in a substantial loss of nutritional value. The prior art operation typically does not harvest the plant leaves, since these are lost in the drying, raking, and baling operations (particularly through the use of wire-toothed pick up wheels on the balers). A great deal of nutritional value is found in the leaves, and this is lost. Further, the prior art approach eliminates most of the moisture found in the harvested hay. The loss of moisture content further erodes the nutritional value of the feed material. A system which reduces or eliminates these problems is obviously desirable.